Sorry 28

Chapter 28

    ***

    Since returning to the manor, Euris had gone to bed early, overcome with exhaustion. Her smooth forehead glistened with sweat, as if she'd had a bad dream.

    The day's events at the tea party had triggered a long-forgotten memory from her childhood.

    As a child, Euris was not afraid to meet people, as she was now. She was a bright, loving, and normal child.

    But the event that would change her life happened when she was around nine years old, a time she had buried deeply and tried not to remember.

    Young Euris had gone to an early education camp, a once-fashionable practice that included the children of several families.

    It took place away from the manor for a month or so in the winter, in the imperial court of Tolas, the capital of Alton.

    It was called the "Grand Winter School" of the Alton Empire, staffed by teachers of various disciplines and madams of society, and aimed at improving the education of young children and exposing them to advanced civilization.

    Euris's mother, Frelona, was interested in such things and had sent her because she thought it would be a good opportunity for her active and sociable daughter. Euris, of course, was happy to participate.

    Little did she know that it would leave her traumatized for life.

    The whole thing was a sham from the start. The children of various noble families were gathered, and of course there were some bad ones.

    Mandela, the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Hillsborough, was one of those children.

    "Get off me!"

    The helpless child's voice echoed through the classroom. Mandela and the children surrounding her had captured and tormented a young girl from an underprivileged aristocratic family who had become their prey.

    There were many children in the room, but no one stopped them.

    Except for Euris.

    "You guys are being too much, stop it!"

    She thought it was the right thing to say to a girl her age.

    "Who is she?"

    "I don't know her name, but she's the only daughter of the Count of Either."

    But Mandela Hillsborough was more evil than she realized.

    "Oh, really?"

    If she thought someone was even remotely inferior to her, Mandela would take advantage. Having gotten to know Euris’s family, she changed her tack.

    "Get off me!"

    The angry child's voice echoed through the darkened hall. Euris looked up and her bare knees were knocked to the floor. More than half of her golden hair was in the grasp of some girl.

    The other girls surrounded her with mocking looks. They all had cruel smiles on their faces, as if they hadn't heard the words to let go.

    The covert harassment had been going on for a month. Outside of class and out of the teachers' sight, the kids had been unkind to Euris. They tore her textbooks, destroyed her clothes, and sometimes, like now, hit her directly.

    "Let go of me!"

    Euris’s voice, repeated over and over again, had morphed into a mixture of fear and tears.

    "No."

    Mandela, the leader of the pack, said coldly and amused.

    "Mandela!"

    "What's the matter with you?"

    Euris replied, sobbing at her question.

    "Didn't it ever occur to you that what you were doing was bad?"

    "Oh, look at her. You still haven't come to your senses, have you?"

    Euris glared at them wordlessly. With a mocking smile, Mandela trailed off.

    "House of Either? Maybe they do business with us. But tell your parents and I’ll kill you.”

    Mandela said warningly. Sitting on the floor, Euris couldn't say anything. She really couldn't tell her parents. Her mother had enough to deal with at the time.

    She couldn't break her heart any further. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth. Mandela and the children were still looking down at her with mocking eyes.

    Euris woke up with a start, feeling the pain in her eyes. The moon had risen through the antique curtains.

    The inky darkness told her it was the middle of the night. She hadn't eaten since the tea party.

    'Chaint.......'

    The seat next to Euris’s was empty. She looked for him out of habit. Her mind was clear. She slid off the bed and slipped her feet into her slippers.

    Then she pulled the thin material of her nightgown around her and left the room. Even though it was summer, the night was cool.

    At the end of the long hallway was his office. He seemed to be busier than ever these days, so Euris walked down the hallway as if she knew he would be there.

    Sure enough, a sliver of yellow light peeked through the crack in the door.

    Before she pushed the door open, she saw him slumped over his desk.

    He sat with his head buried in his hands in front of his spacious desk in the office, never once showing any signs of distress in her presence.

    So it was a bit of a surprise to see him in such distress, with stacks of books on either side of him. It was clear that something was not going well. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

    Chaint remained in place, unmoving, as if it hadn't noticed her entrance. As she approached the desk, she was even more surprised.

    "Oh my god......."

    The air reeked of alcohol. There were bottles and glasses she hadn't seen from the doorway. It looked like he'd had several rounds of strong liquor.

    As she approached, he looked up, as if he'd finally realized his wife had entered.

    "Euris, is that you?"

    Seeing her surprised expression, he pushed himself up from his prostrate position. Euris wrinkled her nose at the lingering smell of alcohol.

    "Why have you been drinking, is something wrong?"

    "Something bad...... ."

    She glanced at the books and papers strewn haphazardly across his desk. Even without looking closely, she could tell they were all about the Lepallon Empire. There it was. Her heart sank.

    ‘He’s been researching the war, and it doesn't look like it's going well.’

    Euris sat down in the chair across from him. Chaint's lingering gaze followed.

    "Is there no way to stop the war?"

    She asked, her heart burning. She had never seen him so broken in all the years she'd known him, and it worried her even more.

    Chaint bit his lip slightly at her words, then released it, and spoke. His voice was filled with sadness.

     "There's no...... won't be."

    ‘Then it’s fine, but why are you so broken?’

    The words failed to escape her throat.

    There had to be a good reason why he was in this much pain. She felt it instinctively, steeled herself, and asked again.

    "Is this a bad direction for us? That someone will have to sacrifice...... That we have to separate......"

    The question made Chaint's mouth drop open. He avoided eye contact, as if he didn't want to answer.

    "Right.”

    The silence became an affirmation, confusing Euris.

    The two sat in silence for a long moment. Their gazes slid slightly away from each other. After a long moment of silence, Chaint finally spoke. His voice had lost some of its drunkenness.

    "Euris, I want to stay with you."

    His voice sounded grave, low in his throat. She said nothing, waiting for his next words.

    "Should we run away?"

    Euris couldn't hide the way her eyes narrowed at those words.

    "What do you mean......?"

    "Do you think we should run away to another country before there's a war and just keep living together?"

    Her head felt like it was spinning.

    ‘How could we, when this empire holds my parents, his parents, and all the memories I've ever loved.’

    She shook her head, still. Her sad eyes seemed to reflect those thoughts.

     'If    we run away, knowing that everyone will die, burn and be torn to pieces, then...... that life will not be happy at all.'

    Watching her, Chaint could understand his wife's sad eyes. He let out a small breath.

    "Euris......."

    He said her name out loud, as if he were going to say something. But he couldn't bring himself to say the rest.

    He wanted to say, "We need to make sure Kylan doesn't go to Lepallon," but he couldn't muster up the courage to say it.

    ****

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